


αιώνια αγάπη

by klari19



Category: Captive Prince - C. S. Pacat
Genre: Caretaking, M/M, The Summer Palace
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-11
Updated: 2017-01-11
Packaged: 2018-09-16 21:03:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9289481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/klari19/pseuds/klari19
Summary: Laurent’s shoulders, a good portion of his back, the tip of his nose, and his cheeks are lobster-red. The once-smooth skin is now swelled and glistens in the soft morning light.Damen can’t fight back the laughter that bubbles in his throat; it makes his chest rumble as he tips his head back into the pillow with his eyes closed.“Not funny at all,” Laurent says through a wheeze as he tries to flip himself down onto the bedding. He gasps and bites back a cry, immediately turning to lie on his belly. “I need—help,” he mumbles into the pillow.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [12lostrosesofautumn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/12lostrosesofautumn/gifts).



> **αιώνια αγάπη** (aiónia agápi, greek) : eternal love
> 
> Hello, dear Autumn!!
> 
> It was right after reading _The Summer Palace_ that I realized you needed a backup gifter. And when I saw your prompt of "sick!fic (preferably with Laurent sick and Damen as caregiver would be /amazing/)", I immediately knew **exactly** what to write for you... I hope you like it even though it's so short (and so late)! May 2017 be a wonderful year filled with many good things for you!
> 
> I'm on tumblr @ a-kielon / kuroosthighz (main) / clara-wrote-once

Damen wakes up slowly, peacefully, to the pleasant sound of the nearby sea. He blinks and rubs at his eyes, yawning through a fond smile as he feels the weight of Laurent’s body on his chest.

The other one is still sound asleep, his lean chest rising and falling to a slow rhythm under Damen’s hand. When Damen tries to look down over his nose, the only thing he can see is Laurent’s golden hair—turned slightly darker by the Summer sun. Damen breathes a smile, the warm air brushing Laurent’s soft hair, and tightens the hold of his arm around Laurent’s lithe body in a sudden burst of fondness towards the prince.

A weak protest rises then.

“Laurent?” Damen whispers, not wanting to wake him up in case he’s still sleeping. Laurent mumbles something unintelligible, but which confirms that he is, indeed, awake. “Sorry, couldn’t catch that.”

“Hurts,” comes the reply, barely a breath into Damen’s skin.

Damen frowns, all senses suddenly alert. “What hurts, Laurent?”

“Skin...feels like...it’s burning,” Laurent whines.

Damen’s eyebrows shoot up and he gazes down again, craning his neck to the side to get a better sight of his lover’s body. That’s when he notices—

Laurent’s shoulders, a good portion of his back, the tip of his nose, and his cheeks are lobster-red. The once-smooth skin is now swelled and glistens in the soft morning light.

Damen can’t fight back the laughter that bubbles in his throat; it makes his chest rumble as he tips his head back into the pillow with his eyes closed.

“Not funny at all,” Laurent says through a wheeze as he tries to flip himself down onto the bedding. He gasps and bites back a cry, immediately turning to lie on his belly. “I need—help,” he mumbles into the pillow.

With Laurent’s back now in full view, Damen takes notice that the form of the chiton Laurent wore the day before is now imprinted on his skin—the soft fabric prevented the excessive burning of only some parts of his body—and he laughs harder.

Laurent grunts, displeased, and Damen apologizes while wiping away a stray tear. He leans down and presses a kiss on the top of Laurent’s head before getting up. “I’ll get what you need, don’t worry.”

✧✧✧

Later, when Damen comes back with a small bottle given by Paschal, Laurent is asleep once more—this time having sunk into a restless slumber. Damen sits down on the edge of the mattress next to Laurent and strokes his fingers over Laurent’s smooth hair.

Laurent groans as he wakes, and Damen breathes a smile. “I brought you something,” he murmurs as he uncaps the small bottle.

“What is it?” Laurent asks, wariness already in his voice even though his just woke.

The slimy liquid drips down onto Damen’s palm and, putting the bottle aside, he spreads it over his fingers while rubbing both of his hands together. “It’s a special ointment,” he explains. “It’s extracted from a plant that only grows on the other side of the sea. Its salve has healing properties, and it’s supposed to make the skin feel cold.” Carefully, he places his hands down on Laurent’s shoulders and begins rubbing softly.

Damen’s stomach flips at the outright moan Laurent fails to muffle into the pillow. He makes it his duty to focus on his current task at hand though, and to deal with other matters later.

“I take it that it feels good?” Damen asks through a smile.

Laurent nods, cheek pressed into the pillow and brows furrowed in pleasure. “Yes,” he breathes.

Damen smooths his broad palms over Laurent’s back, gently rubbing the ointment into the delicate skin. The pads of his fingers trail softly over the lines of Laurent’s shoulders, ribs, and spine. After the ointment has been applied everywhere it needs to on this part, Damen closes his hands over Laurent’s shoulders and gently presses his thumbs at the base of his neck.

Laurent exhales softly through parted lips, his eyes closed. “Good…” he whispers almost dreamily.

Damen smiles again—when it comes to Laurent, he feels like he’s smiling all the time now—and bends down to press a gentle kiss at the nape of Laurent’s neck, miraculously kept unharmed by the curtain of long hair. He’s delighted by the shiver that seems to course through Laurent’s entire body at that.

“I need to put some on your face now, if you please,” Damen says, drumming his fingers over Laurent’s shoulder.

Laurent hums and slowly rolls onto his back. He lets out another relieved exhale when he realizes that the contact of his skin against the sheets doesn’t hurt him anymore.

Damen picks up the small bottle again and lets some of the ointment coat his fingers once more. Gently, he presses his fingertips on the bridge of Laurent’s nose, then spreads the salve over his cheeks and forehead. He bites back a giggle when he realizes that the tips of Laurent’s ears are red, too, and makes sure to rub them thoroughly along with the rest of the burned skin.

“There it is,” Damen whispers when he’s satisfied with the amount of ointment on Laurent’s skin. He leans back and cleans his palms on the bedsheets before looking back at his lover. “Feel better?”

But Laurent doesn’t reply. He makes a perfect picture of pure calm, with his eyelids closed and his chest rising and falling slowly, steadily. Damen realizes then that he must have fallen asleep at some point; the gentle rubbing of his skin must have been a little too relaxing.

Damen averts his gaze, suddenly feeling like the sight of Laurent like that is way too much, too beautiful for his weak heart. He draws in a deep breath before looking back at his charming, although comically-looking red, face.

“Sleep well...” Damen murmurs, unable to fight back a smile. He bends down again and brushes his lips over Laurent’s, a quick peck on dry and chapped lips. (He takes a mental note to ask Paschal for another kind of salve to treat them.) “...my beloved,” he breathes against Laurent’s lips, and for a minute moment he feels a small smile press against his own.


End file.
